EDUCATING A DIVISION.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 May 1919, Page 10

EDUCATING A DIVISION.

NEW ZEALANDERS AT SCHOOL IN

GERMAN*;

(From Captain Malcolm Ross.) Leverkusen, March 19. "When, towards the end of 1914, the flower of New Zealand manhood sailed away from their beautiful islands to the great war there were few among them who imagined that four-and-a-half years later they would be going to school again in Germany, The fear was that they would be too late for the fighting. Some few, cheerful optimists these, thought they might be marching into Berlin before many moons had waned. Many of them now lie in foreign soil—their graves scattered from Gallipoli and Palestine to the Somme and l'asschendael; from Le Quesnoy to Cologne. Yet thi.' miracle lias happened. For some weeks past the men of this gallant division have been at school in the land of the enemy. The re-education of a division, even in the period of armistice that intervenes between war and peace, is not a simple matter. It requires thought and organisation, and a tenacity of will and purpose, set strongly against the many obstacles that obtrude across the pathway to knowledge. During the actual fighting it was impossible to deal with any comprehensive scheme of education. In those rare intervals when it came out of the lighting line, the division had, perforce, to devote its attention more to the arts of War than those of Peace. Still, soimvv.'.iim; was done—a beginning made, mainly through the medium of that excellent organisation the Y.M.C A., which, n« oarlv a* March, 1917, commenced with the Hospital units in England, and. late:-, arranged for lectures and classes in Belgium and France. Early in 1018, :i f.'.i'.feKvice of Mew Zealand University teachers, graduates, expert tradesmen, in:'{ others interested, was convened, and, after much consideration, drafted a policy and syllabus, and submitted a report on professional and vocational subjects. Through' the practical results of this conference, the New Zealand Expeditionary Force claims to have been the pioneer in the systematic class work, 'iriop extended to every expeditionary force in the British Armies. Too much credit cannot be given for the executive work done through the initiative of the head of the Administration in England, where, of course, more ideal conditions obtain; but this article is written mainly wW.li ;'•-> object of giving some idea of what might be termed the re-education of a division still in the field—a much more difficult matter.

The New Zealand Field Education Scheme was devised for the purpose of helping men to be better citizens, and, the moment the guns had ceased firing, the general of the division and some of his officers began to think and plan with this object in view. A grant of £3OOO had already been made by the Government, and this was now supplemented by a further generous grant of £50.000 for the general pl?,n. It was seen that the scheme must be commilsorv, and under military direction This decision was not arrived at without considerable discussion, and some opposition, but, eovntnallv, even the opponents of compulsion became converts to that idea. The teachers are all men from the division. They were carefully selected and sent to nnrncliurch where was established a special school for teaching teachers how to tea-ch. Many had already had experience in the profession, but there were others who, though they had a sound knowledge in their especial subjects, had to be taught the art of clear exposition and demonstration. They spent a month in this school. At the start there were eight officers and a hundred and twenty non-commissioned officer instructors. Practically all these men have done excellent work. The general idea has been to teach up to matriculation standard in the division, and there is a matriculation class where students worftne five hours a day are given special facilities with a view to matriculation. Those capable of greater accomplishments, provided thev aTe suitable candidates, are sent back to the various colleges of the New Zealand University. Those who have already matriculated and who wish to pursue their studies further are Bent to university colleges in England—mainly to the London University. These latter live at Horn church Camp, and travel daily to and from London •

For ordinary administrative purposes the division in Germany was organised into four brigade groups—three infantry and one artillery, and this organisation was tal<en as the basis of the educative work. In each group there was a school where all subjects were taught. In cases where group occupied several towns the engineering branch was concentrated in one place, the agricultural branch in another, and the architectural branch in a third. This helped greatly in reducing the amount of equipment necessary. On the other hand the general education and commercial sections provided for instruction in each centre. Law and printing were taken in one centre for the whole division. There are in all nine sections—agriculture, economics, commerce, law, telegraph engineering, general education, architecture engineering, and trades. The comprehensive nature of the teaching may be judged from a few examples. For instance, in agriculture daily lectures are given in agricultural science, dairy farming, live stock and veterinary subjects, wool classing, fruit farming, market gardening, and poultry farming. In commerce, bookkeeping (elementary and advanced), shorthand 1 , salesmanship, advertising, »nd_ typewriting arc taught. Under the heading of architecture there are taught architecture, contracting, plumbing, painting*, sign-writing, plastering, bricklaying, earpentary, cabinet-making, and affriculhiral carpcntary. Tn engineering the subjects are surveying and roadniakhig, steam, gas, and oil engines, applied mechanics, mathematif* for engineers, elementary electrical engineering, installation, cinema operating, and motor mechanics. The cost of equipment has not been great, as tools, paper for exercise and note books, and other articles have been requisitioned in Germany, while the directors of some of the excellent technical

colleges in and about Cologne have greatly assisted by the loan of valuable and up-to-date material, such as split j sections of oil and other engines, electrical appliances and other things. Tools, cameras, timber, sewing machines, and even a milk-testing machine have been borrowed or bought in Germany. The cost of tools and other appliances and material secured in Germany was very low compared with what would have been had these been obtained in England, especially when the decreased value of the mark is taken into consideration, but, in any case, owing to the difficulties of transport, it would have been impossible to have secured most of the material in time from England. The scheme, as it was originally drawn up, made \ provision for an education period of or eight months, as it was not thought agf&Aa to d^qb&iss

In less time. While the unexpected rapid demobilisation from Germany will undoubtedly be of great advantage to New Zealand, it has, at the same time, interfered with the education scheme. Other hindrances have been mused through the necessity of still carrying on certain military duties, such as the furnishing of guards, the care of a Ketnount Depot, and the transport of horses to bases as far away as Rouen and Dieppe. The New Zealanders have been going back at the rate of one thousand per week, and the weekly average attendance at the classes in the natural course of events fell from fiS.S.'i in the last week in January to 10(10 on Ist March. As the classes fell so the numbers of instructors decreased proportionately, those not being required being sent to England to take up similar duties there, or on board troopships returning to the Dominion. There was no lack of suitable buildings for the various classes, the Stadtische Lyceum, a well-equipped secondary technical school at Mulheim, and the class rooms in the famous Bayer Dye and Chemical Works at Leverkusen being ideal- At Bensberg a college that, up to the armistice, bad been used for the teaching of German military cadets, was turned to more peaceful purposes in the interests of tho Now Zealand Division. The firm of Bayer and Co. supplied a great deal of apparatus on loan for educational purposes. It was one of tho strange incidents in the onward march of events to find this famous firm which made the poison gases and onethird of the high explosives for the German armies assisting in the peaceful education of a Division that came from the uttermost Dominion to assist in upholding British arms against our German foes_

To sum up, it may be said that, for those who have been able to attend regularly, the results of the Education Scheme have been excellent. The students themselves say that they have learvt quite a lot. Even for those who owing to various duties, have been able to attend only irregularly, the advantages have been considerable. They have at least been given an incentive to further study, and have been shown how tliev can advance their own and the country's interests in the future "by improving their knowledge in the occupations they have already engaged! in or intend to take up in the near future. The good work started here can be continued in England while the troops are awaiting transport back to their own country; it can be continued on board ship; and it need not be discontinued even in faraway New Zealand after the last man ha« returned.

A round of the classes convinced one that those attending were keen to loam, and that they were eagerly attentive to the instruction given. .It was strange to see the "Diggers," pipes and cigarettes in mouths, trooping into school again. In one room you would find a young gunner lecturing to an interested class on unemployment. In another a warrant officer would >l talking about the fertilising and repi'iduction of plants, with diagrams on a blackboard, illustrating tho functions of the stamen and the stigma, and other scientific facts, while down in the basement, at German stoves, keen students were learning the art of cookery. If you wyre to question tlv> cook you would find that he was the chef from the Grand Hotel. Wellington, and proud of his iob. A General going tho rounds complimented him on tho good work he was engaged in, adding nnthotioallv that in the early part of the war ho had suffered more from bad cookerv than he had from the enemy. Tn the English class wo found at lcn=t one humorist. He did not look at all literarv, and the General asked him why lie was attending that class. "Well." said he, "for the .past twelve months I have been an instructor in phvsicnl training, and during that period T dropped all mv aitshes. T have come here for the purpose of picking them up again" Who can say that before the next war he itrnv not have developed into a contributor to Punch, or perchance have earned fame a-; the Stephen Lcacock nf New Zealand ? At anv rate he and the thousands of Ins fellow "Diggers" will not altogether have wasted their leisure moments while thev were keeping their "Watch on the ■Rhine."